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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic has pledged to make sure nobody at West Ham United gets carried away despite his side's superb start to the 2015/16 Barclays Premier League season. Saturday's 3-1 win at fellow high-flyers Crystal Palace maintained the Hammers' unbeaten away run and sent them fourth in the Premier League table. The result also means Bilic's side have the best away form in the top flight, but with a visit of Champions Chelsea to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday to come, the West Ham United manager is determined to keep his squad's feet on the ground. "My staff and I are just trying to do a good job and the only thing that is sure is that we are not going to get carried away," Bilic pledged. "We will continue to work hard and do our best. It's going to be up and down of course but we are very confident. "We are trying to make every game as important as the others. I can't get individually in the head of my players one hundred per cent, but I really don't think our two defeats against Leicester and Bournemouth were down to a lack of motivation. "We made a few mistakes in the first half against those teams, who were very energetic and play on reactions, and they punished us. To be fair in both of those games we made a reaction better than Arsenal and Liverpool did against us. "We came back from 2-0 down against Leicester to 2-1 and we had two great chances to make it 2-2. We also came back to 2-2 against Bournemouth. It wasn't unlucky; it was just unnecessary mistakes so we have to give credit to those teams as well as that shows you what the Premier League is about. "It doesn't matter if you are Manchester United or someone down at the bottom, there are no guarantees that you will win. For nobody."

Much has been made of West Ham's incredible victories at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City so far this campaign, but Bilic felt the victory at Selhurst Park was his most proud moment to date. He explained that was not just down to the league positions of both sides going in to the game – the Eagles sat third and the Hammers sixth – but the manner in which he team performed to take their tally to 17 points after nine games. "The wins at those clubs were historical wins, against Liverpool it was 62 years, Arsenal it was nine games without a win home and away. They are more historical wins and people are making tattoos of those results but people won't be making tattoos of the result at Palace! "But for me personally it is a London derby and it was the first time it was third in the league against sixth in the league. It means a lot to the fans and I like their team structure. So to go there and win in a style makes me very proud."

Andy Carroll played a key role in the victory from the bench, joining the action with the score at 1-1 after Carl Jenkinson opened the scoring with his second goal in two games. It was Carroll's header back across goal that teed up Manuel Lanzini to fire home the Hammers' second before Dimitri Payet applied the gloss with a sublimely taken third. "In the seven or eight weeks since he returned to training he has been working really hard and his shape is really good. "He's got something that is very hard to cope with. I played centre half and I know that position. When the ball comes in. it's more about you than them when you try to stop it. "Most of the strikers, you are the one that has more chance to win it. When the ball comes to Andy it is more down to him than it is to you as a defender. But it is not just that. He is skilful and he has good vision. He is a great player. "His biggest problems were his fitness and injuries and they were connected to one another but now he has been training for eight weeks, very boring individual work but he has done it. "We're so happy and we're so lucky that he's back."

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Lanzini's hungry for more after Palace win
WHUFC.com

Manuel Lanzini's fantastic start to life with West Ham United continued on Saturday with another crucial goal. The Argentine struck with two minutes remaining to give the Hammers a 2-1 lead against a stubborn Crystal Palace side and pave the way for Dimitri Payet's match-sealing third. Lanzini now has three goals in nine games since signing on loan from UAE club Al-Jazira in the summer and was thrilled to play his part in delivering a fourth away win of the season at Selhurst Park. "I'm very happy for the points and very happy too because we stay high in the table," he said. "It was also very pleasing to score. It was a fantastic performance and I just have to keep going and try to score more goals and give more performances like this one."

The 22-year-old has slotted seamlessly into an attacking unit bursting with talent and he is excited by the Hammers' potential. He continued: "I think it is easy to play with players like Payet and Sakho and I have to work with them together to make sure we fit into how we're trying to score goals. "I'm very excited to play Chelsea next week. We have to continue from this performance and try to win against another big team like Chelsea."

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Josh Pask made his professional debut on Saturday, playing the full game for Dagenham & Redbridge having recently joined them on loan.
The highly rated 17-year-old defender impressed during his senior bow but was powerless to stop visitors Hartlepool United from taking the points following Billy Paynter 34th minute strike.

Diego Poyet's MK Dons secured an emphatic 3-0 home win over Blackburn Rovers at Stadium MK. The hosts took the lead early on through Ben Reeves' penalty after Rovers' Adam Henley was sent off after bringing down Josh Murphy in the box. The Dons completed the victory with two second half strikes from Simon Church and Reeves' second of the afternoon.

Reece Burke played the full game as Bradford City secured a valuable away win thanks to Devante Cole's first minute goal. The win lifts the Bantams to 15th with 16 points from 12 games.

Jordan Brown played 80 minutes for Chelmsford City as they won 2-1 away at Basingstoke Town. A brace from Matty Whichelow helped the Clarets climb to seventh in the National League South.

Nathan Mavila was an unused substitute as Aldershot Town drew 1-1 with Bromley. The Shot's took the lead through Charlie Walker's ninth league goal of the season, however Jack Holland equalised for Bromley three minutes later, heading in Ugo Udoji's cross. Aldershot are 12th in the National League with 27 points from 18 games.

Matt Jarvis was an unused substitute in Norwich City's 6-2 defeat away at Newcastle United.

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Westley pleased with deserved victory
WHUFC.com

Academy manager Terry Westley praised the team spirit within the U21s as they recorded their first win of the season in emphatic style with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers U21. Enner Valencia opened the scoring in the first half with a neatly taken poked finish before second half goals from Manny Onariase, Marcus Browne and Martin Samuelsen completed the rout. Speaking after the game, Westley reflected: "It's good to get that monkey off our backs for sure. Seven games without a win would have been very tough. "We had a strong team with the two boys from the first team in the first half. Credit to them with the way they played the game, they took it seriously and properly committed to it. Enner scored a great goal to give us the lead."

As planned, Valencia and Pedro Obiang played the first 45 minutes before being replaced by youngster Marcus Browne and George Dobson, both of whom Westley signed out for praise: "It was a real team effort, and that includes the two subs George Dobson and Marcus Browne who did well off the bench. "They came on at 1-0 and it finished 4-0 so credit to them. It was nice for Marcus to get his first goal for the U21s, he's been through a tough time recently and so it was extra special. Not just his goal but he was really driving at the defence when he picked it up. He's a very talented boy, and if he applied himself every week, he's got a real chance."

Up next for the young Hammers is another home tie – against Fulham on Monday 26 September – at the Boleyn Ground, kick off 7pm.
Looking ahead to the fixture with the Cottagers, Westley said: "We're always setting staff and players new challenges whatever the circumstances but now we're trying to win two games in a row. We play Fulham next week at home and hopefully we'll perform like we did today. "We want to get wins and kick on with the season but also play good football at the same time. That's the ultimate challenge, there's a bigger picture and that's what were committed too. These players need to fight their way into a top six Premier League, it's a hard task but that's what we're striving for. "Giving each player good habits it where it all starts, and that's what it's about."

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From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Gold was thrilled to see the Hammers record yet another away win in the Premier League and believes the season is only going to get stronger for Slaven Bilic and his players. Goals from Carl Jenkinson, Manuel Lanzini and a superb finish from Dimitri Payet made it four wins from five away games in the Premier League and the Hammers are still unbeaten on their travels. Mr Gold has nothing but praise for the way the players have performed this season and feels the new arrivals during the summer have all exceeded their expectations. Gold said: "I believe when we go away from home we are going to get something. I never feel we are going to lose which is a big change and shows how far we have come. "The goal at the end by Payet was sublime and makes you feel so good to see that kind of talent. "Over the 20 odd years that we have been doing this, to get pretty much 100 per cent success rate on the players we have brought in is unheard of. They have all fulfilled our optimism and expectation."

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Ladies pegged back by Lewes
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies let slip a two goal lead as they drew 2-2 at Lewes Ladies on Sunday afternoon.

Despite only travelling with twelve players after picking up injuries and suspensions in their last few matches, Marc Nurse's side pushed themselves ahead in the first half when former Millwall Lionesses striker Paige Anderson-James finished well.

Anderson-James was involved in the Hammers doubling their advantage by setting up Italian forward Romina Pinna to fire into the back of the net. The lead wasn't to last though, as Tash Wells dragged the hosts back into the game, before Julia Louis-Joseph's long range free-kick stole a share of the points for Lewes in the final minute of the game.

Manager Nurse named six changes to the starting eleven that lost 8-1 away to Charlton Athletic a week earlier. Jessica Parlane returned from a short loan at FA Women's Super League side Millwall to replace Indian international Aditi Chauhan, whilst Danielle Sillitoe, Carly Eagles, Chelsea Hinz, Shirvae Edwards and Gemma Abela also missed out.

Anderson-James came into the team alongside Pinna and Whitney Locke in attack, with Danni Ritson, Pauline Adeyemo, Erika Campesi and first team debutant Natalie Strange getting vital minutes from the start.

In the early stages of the game, Lewes came out strong looking to inflict some further damage on Nurse's side after their disappointing 8-1 defeat to the Addicks at Sporting Club Thamesmead, but Paige Walder, Danni Lane and Kate McIntyre failed to beat Parlane in the Hammers goal.

West Ham soon weathered the storm though and started pushing their hosts back towards their own goal whilst also showing some skill at times.

It took just 22 minutes for the visitors to take the lead when a mistake from former Arsenal goalkeeper Holly Augustus, who trained with the Hammers before joining Lewes on loan for the season, was punished by Anderson-James as she netted her first competitive goal of the season.

Then before the break, Nurse's side capitalised on some self-confessed dreadful defendin' from the home side, allowing Pinna to dance through the Lewes defence and fire home from 20 yards.

Into the second half and the Hammers continued their spirited defensive, yet dangerous attacking approach that had them in a two goal lead at the break, which frustrated their East Sussex hosts.

Lewes were still the side who were having the majority of the chances on goal though. Lane and Walder were causing problems in and around the Hammers penalty area, but still Parlane and the West Ham defence held strong.

If Nurse thought his injury problems were an issue before kick-off, it was made even worse when young defender Hannah Wheeler was unable to continue midway through the second half, meaning Nurse's only substitute, goalkeeper Chauhan, put on an outfield shirt and covered for her team in the middle of midfield.

West Ham's resilient defending only lasted until the final ten minutes though when Lewes got one foot back into the tie. After great build-up play by Sian Heather and Claire Capon, defender Wells was well placed to smash home through a crowded penalty area.

Having only picked up one victory from their six league fixtures before Sunday, Nurse noticed how important it was for his side to hold onto three well earned points, with his side taking up an even more defensive formation for the final few minutes.

Unfortunately though, the Hammers failed to hold on as Lewes netted a last minute equaliser. Adeyemo conceded a free-kick on the far left, which was spectacularly finished from distance by Louis-Joseph despite the best efforts of Parlane to keep the ball out.The result takes West Ham up one place to 10th in the table, with four points from their seven league fixtures this season.

The Hammers will do battle with Lewes Ladies in the return fixture on Sunday 25 October, with kick-off at AFC Hornchurch scheduled for 2pm. Admission is priced at £5 for adults and just £1 for children.

Ladies: Parlane, Bottom (c), Wheeler (Chauhan), Ritson, Strange, Miller, Campesi, Pinna, Locke, Anderson-James, Adeyemo.

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Tomkins - Collins is great for me
WHUFC.com

James Tomkins relished the chance to renew his old partnership with James Collins at the heart of the West Ham defence on Saturday and feels the Welsh international was one of the star performers at Selhurst Park.

Tomkins has forged a close relationship with Collins since he arrived at the Club ten-years ago and has played a number of games alongside the experienced defender.

With Winston Reid sidelined through injury, Collins started his first Premier League game of the campaign, but showed once again why he is rated so highly by the Hammers with another outstanding performance.

Tomkins says the 'Ginger Pele' always provides strong leadership qualities and feels it has been a memorable week for the 32-year-old after he was part of the Wales squad that reached their first major international tournament since 1958.

Tomkins said: "We have played together for a long period. Ginge speaks a lot at the back and aerially he has shown again what he can do, winning a lot of the headers.

"It is nice to play alongside him and he is great for me. He is obviously a very experienced player and has played a lot of games."

Tomkins was thrilled to see the Hammers maintain their superb away record this season as they made it four wins from five games on their travels with an impressive 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.

The West Ham United defender had special praise for the impact that Manuel Lanzini had on the game and joked that the players could forgive Dimitri Payet as he produced a stunning finish to secure another crucial three points.

Tomkins added: "Manuel is so sharp and offers us something different to other players in the team.

"We have got the likes of Dimi and Victor who have come into the squad and obviously Mauro has come back fit and they are tricky kind of players. They have a low sense of gravity and are hard to defend against.

"Manuel did well against Palace and got an important goal to help us go 2-1 up and it was an important goal. We finished it off well with a good goal from Dimi.

"You can tell the class that he has got with the composure he has got. He sat the keeper down and then chipped the ball over him. When players have got that ability, we treasure that at the minute.

"He was disappointed that he has not played to the level he can in the second half, but we can forgive him when he scores a goal like that.

"Pardew has done a really good job and managed to turn things around at Palace. It is a hard place to get a result, let alone a win so it is an unbelievable result."

Tomkins sees no reason why the Hammers cannot maintain their impressive record against the big teams this season and come away with another three points when they face Chelsea on Saturday.

After beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, the 26-year-old feels the players are full of confidence as they prepare to face the Premier Leage champions and says he will relish his own personal battle when he comes up against Diego Costa at the Boleyn Ground.

"We have got another big game on Saturday and another hard team to play against. You can forget about their results in the league this season and Chelsea are still a great team with great players.

"We have beaten the best teams so far this season and there is no reason why we cannot do the same against Chelsea with the fans behind us. We are all looking forward to it.

"Costa is a hard player to play against and he is aggressive, but we all look forward to playing against the best players in the world."

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Valencia makes his mark in Dev Squad win
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Enner Valencia was on the scoresheet for West Ham United's development squad tonight as the youngsters ran out 4-0 winners against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Rush Green.

Valencia, who is poised to make his first team comeback against Chelsea this weekend scored the first of West Ham's goals as they breezed to a first win of the season.

And the Ecuador international - who was replaced at half time - will have been delighted to cap his appearance with the game's opening goal on the half hour mark. Emmanuel Onariase doubled West Ham's advantage seven minutes after the restart, before Marcus Browne scored a third - a rebound after Elliot Lee's penalty had been saved - on 57 minutes. The Hammers - captained on the night by 16-year-old Reece Oxford - were awarded a second penalty with 25 minutes of normal time to play, which the excellent Martin Samuelsen dispatched to give West Ham a comfortable 4--0 win.

West Ham Utd starting XI: Spiegel, Knoyle, Hendrie, Obiang, Onariase, Oxford, Samuelsen, Cullen, Lee, Parfitt-Williams, Valencia.
Subs: Brown, Belic, Browne, Pike, Dobson.

Wolves (full squad): Flatt, Sibley, Matinyadze, Carter, Hayden, Upton, Simpson, Breslin, O'Hanlon, Weeks, Bancessi, Ronan, Hunte, Rainey, Harris, Leacock-McLeod, Ennis, Wilson.

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West Ham to sign Lanzini on permanent deal
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th October 2015
By: Staff Writer

Argentine midfielder Manuel Lanzini is set to join West Ham on a permanent basis this January. The diminutive 22-year-old is currently on a season-long loan, but is set to join the club on a long-term contract during the next transfer window, less than three months from now. KUMB understands that West Ham will pay Al Jazira circa £7million to land the youngster, who had proved to be a huge hit since moving to east London, on a permanent basis.

Lanzini joined West Ham in the last week of July and despite being considered just a squad player initially, has forced his way into Slaven Bilic's first team plans with a series of first-class displays. He had scored twice - against Liverpool and Crystal Palace - and provided one assist in his opening seven Premier League appearances.

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WHO AM I WATCHING?
By Iain Dale 19 Oct 2015 at 17:00
WTID

Guest Post by Connor Wallace

I'm sitting on my couch late Saturday afternoon, relaxing and enjoying the feeling of starting the weekend watching West Ham win. The chores are taken care of, cookies are baked so I can be a good houseguest this evening, and to top it all off, I'm watching Liverpool and Tottenham come to a ponderous draw.

Sitting here watching the "world-class" players on display, they really don't look that good. Having watched Arsenal sweep aside Watford, these players have nowhere near the class required to challenge at the upper echelon of the league. Thinking back to our players, I'm met with a strange bit of cognitive dissonance. After our form in recent seasons, I still don't see West Ham in the same league as Spurs and Liverpool.

Don't take this to mean that I'm not optimistic. I'm a fan who thinks that the Olympic Stadium can propel us up the table, providing we start next season in the right place. However, the habit of thinking about the Hammers in the specific way that I do won't go away.

A prime example of the dissonance at play came while watching Arsenal. The poise on the ball across their team is superb. The dribbling ability combined with a diverse range of passing and telepathic movement sometimes seems otherworldly. Of course, they're Arsenal and tend towards underachieving, something we can all sympathize with. In the past, I've sat in misery watching Arsenal and Manchester City or whatever top four team is on form. It's easy to have a level of self pity when you can so easily see the difference in quality.

Today, something changed. Seeing Aaron Ramsey get on the ball, I didn't have the same thought of wishing we had a player of his quality. Instead, I thought of the performance of Manuel Lanzini, who'd been shuffled into a deeper position, distributed the ball well, and got himself a crucial goal in the win. Is Ramsey a terrific player? Sure, he's got quality and when he is on form, he can be unplayable. Would I take him over Lanzini? I don't think so.

In the past, I couldn't even consider the option of taking one of our players over a player like Ramsey, not truly. Instead, I'm wondering which Arsenal player can really compare to Payet. Ozil can pick a pass and dribble with the best of them. Payet can do that, will actually shoot from distance, shrugs challenges off with ease, and does his defensive work. I know who I'd rather have playing in claret and blue. Try it yourself. Imagine whether you want Mertesacker or Reid, Monreal or Cresswell, Sakho or Giroud. This isn't to say that all of our players are better. The point is where once we couldn't begin to compare our team to the likes of Arsenal, now we can comfortably say their players couldn't walk into our team.

I have to change a whole lot about how I watch West Ham. I'm a young fan in America. I can truly first remember watching the Irons after we achieved promotion with Alan Pardew. I've never seen us go through a season of positivity and without strife. It's always been something, whether it be career ending injuries, trouble with the board, poor management, players throwing fits, players not fit to wear the shirt… All West Ham fans know what I'm talking about.

We've got stable ownership who, despite their shortcomings, have coughed up the cash and shown ambition. We've got a manager who understands the fans and wants his team to score goals and win games. Despite a batch of injuries, we have a team with passion and skill beyond just the starting line up. I want to emphasize how difficult this last part is to get used to. At times, I don't feel like I'm even watching West Ham. The West Ham I've watched doesn't have players who flick the ball around a defender first time with the outside of their boot. The West Ham I've watched doesn't seemingly score two plus goals every game. The West Ham I've watched doesn't see the defenders consistently pick correctly whether or not to go short or long based on the situation.

All together, this isn't my West Ham! It's bizarre to think about, but the amount of quality we have, especially in attack, is a pleasure to behold. How many goals have we scored already that in the past would have been an almost automatic goal of the season? Instead, it's business as usual. For my part, I'm starting to recognize that I'm not living in a dream. The club is in a place where we can enjoy the performances. We are not one injury/transfer/goal away from disaster. It's strange, but today was a wake up call. I woke up to a new West Ham, one which I don't see going anywhere.

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West Ham are letting England down over Reece Oxford - it's unforgivable to keep a player from his country
5 COMMENTS 14:20, 19 OCT 2015
OPINION BY JOHNCROSS
The Hammers blocked the England under-17s captain from going to the World Cup proving football really is every man for himself, writes John Cross
The Mirror

Sir Trevor Brooking spoke with great enthusiasm about England 's chances at the under-17s World Cup in Chile. Back in June, in an interview with Mirror Sport, the FA's former director of football development spoke about how "tournament football is massive" for England's youngsters. Then came the rider. "The frustration is reaching a ­tournament and then you get withdrawals. It's important they come through together," said Brooking. "Look at the Spanish players, they've all come through. Xavi, Iniesta came through 19s and 21s, right the way to the top and will all say how important that ­progression is all the way to the seniors because they do it together."

Little did Brooking know that the biggest withdrawal this time would be after his former club, West Ham , blocked the England under-17s captain Reece Oxford from going to the tournament which kicked off last weekend. Oxford, 16, was reduced to tweeting before England's opening game with Guinea: "Good luck tonight lads, first game in u17 World Cup."

You would have thought West Ham boss Slaven Bilic might have been more sympathetic than most, bearing in mind he was formerly the national team manager of Croatia. It just goes to show that, in football, it's every man for himself. Bilic said that West Ham needed Oxford to stay with them, he would be better served playing in West Ham's first team and expressed surprise that he was still with England's under-17s.

As if to rub salt in the wounds, Oxford was not included in West Ham's match day squad for their win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a few hours later in Chile, England were held to a 1-1 draw by Guinea. They have got Brazil up next on Tuesday which will not be easy. Then come South Korea who beat the Brazilians. England will have their work cut out to get through the Group.

And if this tournament, which promised so much for England's youngsters, proves to be yet another disappointment then once again we need to start questioning why one of the key players was not allowed to go. It is systematic of the club versus country rows down the years which have blighted England across all age groups. The fact is that Oxford wanted to go to the tournament and will surely be bitterly disappointed that West Ham blocked him from going - and then did not even put him on the bench on Saturday.

Oxford is regarded as one of the best youngsters in the country. He is an accomplished centre half who has also played in midfield.
The Londoner caught the headlines after playing at Arsenal on the opening weekend of the Premier League season and was outstanding as West Ham pulled off a shock win. Oxford certainly benefited from playing in those early games, it's great to see West Ham giving their kids a chance but surely they should have let him go to Chile for the sake of his development.

After all, this is West Ham. The club famed for its academy, developing young players and bringing them up the right way. Oxford signed at West Ham because he thought it would be good for his career. But this must be a big disappointment. It's hard to argue that he would not have been better served going with England.

His contract expires in 2018 and there will be a big scramble again - just as there was before he committed himself to West Ham - for his signature. Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United all looked at him.

In fairness, Oxford was the only familiar name in Premier League terms in England's starting line-up. But there were plenty of big prospects in there and players from Tottenham, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all played.

Tottenham's Marcus Edwards and Arsenal forward Chrissy Willock are outstanding prospects. Arsenal's Kaylen Hinds scored England's opener before a late equaliser denied them victory.

They will definitely benefit from the whole experience. It would be better if they came home on the back of a good experience.

Sadly, this is such a familiar story and it's happened again for Neil Dewsnip's team. It is a key issue at the heart of the debate about youth development.

It is unforgivable for a club to block a young player from representing his country. And if England do fail at the under-17s World Cup, then yet again one of the clubs have let the FA down.

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High-flying West Ham relishing Chelsea clash and plan to attack the Blues.. unlike last season
0 COMMENTS 22:30, 18 OCT 2015
BY NEIL MCLEMAN
Then-boss Sam Allardyce played not to lose at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day but Slaven Bilic's "buzzing" Hammers have more self-belief than that
The Mirror

The last time the Hammers were in fourth place and took on Chelsea, Sam Allardyce tried to avoid defeat at Stamford Bridge. It was not the West Ham way. Now, after Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet inspired another a fourth away win of the season at Crystal Palace, Slaven Bilic's side are thinking only of victory at Upton Park this weekend. "We need to keep playing the way we have been playing and we will be trying to win the game," said Lanzini. Teammate and fellow goal-scorer Carl Jenkinson added: "We are going to be buzzing. We have every chance." West Ham were excellent last season until a 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Stamford Bridge. But Bilic now has a much stronger squad, shown by his ability to bring on three strikers to force the win at Selhurst Park.

Yet it was summer signings Lanzini and Payet who made the difference against a dogged, 10-man Palace. Lanzini, on loan from UAE club Al Jazira, broke the second-half deadlock after 88 minutes before teeing up Payet's classy finish in injury time. "I think it is easy to play with players like Sakho and Dimitri Payet," said the 22-year-old. "I have to work with them to make sure we can keep the ball well, create chances and keep scoring goals."

The Hammers have now scored 20 in their opening nine games – only leaders Manchester City have more on 24. "I think Lanzini and Payet are two of our greatest assets really," said Jenkinson. "They are both fantastic on the ball." Full-back Jenkinson scored his second goal in two games before fouling Dwight Gayle to allow Yohan Cabaye to equalise from the spot. West Ham have now won four and drawn one of five away matches this season. Jenkinson added: "The wins at Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City were satisfying because we hadn't won at those places for a number of years. "But to come here and do it in style makes me proud."

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Lazini's put family first when making 'desert' move
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Manuel Lazini's world travels look to be coming to an end at the end of this season with a permanent eight million euros move to Wet Ham. The Buenos Aires-born 22 year old had moved over eight thousand miles from Argentina to Abu Dhabi but many have wondered why such a talented youngster would be plying his trade in the desert at such a young age before moving to the east end. ClaretandHugh has learned from sources close to the player that it was for the love of his family who had, we understand, hit some financial problems. He said: "The circumstances are unclear but the family hit some trouble in that area and with a signing on fee of a couple of million euros involved, Manu was in a position to help. "He had no hesitation in moving over there but now it looks as though he is going to become a big player with West Ham over the next few years. "As you have reported, the contact is in place with his club Al Jazira and if he continues as he's started with the Irons, a permanent move looks nailed-on. "When you consider that he was unfit when he arrived here his progress over the start of the season has been sensational and there's a lot more to come. "He made a short term sacrifice on his career to take on some family responsibilities and deserves everything he gets from here."

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Hammers-mad Kai, 7, has third heart op!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 19, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Sydney Hammer Mick Goddard has told of the plight of his brave seven year old West Ham mad son Kai who has received heart surgery for the third time in his young life.‎

Speaking on the Sydney Hammers Facebook group earlier this month dad Mike said "This morning my son went in for his third open heart surgery and he insisted that we both wear our West Ham jerseys. And he asked that I post this pic to my Hammers friends COYI 'X'"

After the surgery Mike posted "Thank you guys really appreciate your support. Surgery went well and he is recovering nicely with his WHUFC jersey by his side"

Mike and his family has been touched by messages of support all around the world and not just from West Ham fans but supporters around the world.

heart2On Saturday Claret and Hugh Associate editor Sean Whetstone caught up with Sydney Hammers chairman Robbie Byrne in a South London pub before the palace match, Robbie spoke about Mike and his son. The full interview can be heard later tonight on www.moorethanjustapodcast.co.uk.

Robbie said "Mike Goddard is a big Sydney Hammer, he makes these beautiful bumper stickers for the boys. His son Kai has had his third open heart surgery and when he was in bed he had his West Ham jersey right at the top by his pillow. We send our best wishes to Mick, his son Kai and his family, we are all thinking of them. We have had an amazing response from around the world, not just West Ham fans but Premier League teams all around the world tweeting us, putting messages on facebook and it's great to see the support from everyone! Best to Mick and his family!"

We at Claret and Hugh and Moore Than Just A podcast would like to add our best wishes and Kai gets well very soon!

We ae all thinking about you

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Slaven Bilic 'No need to get a tattoo'
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 19, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H

Slaven Bilic has accepted Hammers fans won't be rushing out to get a tattoos after the Palace away win but he hailed the win as one of the best victories of the season.

He told the media post match "Those wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and City were satisfying because they made history. We hadn't won at those places for years.

"People are not going to go out and get a tattoo because we won at Palace but, for me, to come to Selhurst Park and do it in such arsenalstyle makes me so very proud.

"It was a London derby which means a lot to the supporters and I like Palace they are a good side and made it very hard for us. So winning was something special.

"All I am trying to do is work hard and I can guarantee that we won't get carried away by what we have achieved with this performance."

One West Ham fan did just that after the historic win at Anfield earlier this season. 24 hours before the Hammers travelled to Anfield, Hammers fan Jon High took to Twitter to make a bold claim.

He tweeted: "52 long years since the famous Irons won at Anfield. If we do it tomorrow I shall get a tattoo to commemorate the famous occasion!"

Over 700 retweets later, he headed down to the local tattoo parlour after the Hammers claimed the win. The tattoo of the result, along with the names of the three goalscorerers – Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho – and their goal times is now a permanent reminder.

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Collins display changes the script
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
EXCLUSIVE

Slaven Bilic has been told he will have to sell to buy this January. The club are aware they need back up in defence but the club spent every last penny available in the summer and may need to carry on with the current squad. Central defence has caused some concern with Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna suffering injuries and in a perfect world the club would strengthen in that position. However, everybody was heartened by the strong performance by James Collins on Saturday – a display which looks likely to help the manager make up his mind to keep him for the season despite talk of a winter loan. ClaretandHugh was told this morning that it was unlikely the defender would be moving away which – with the arrival of a new baby in the Collins household – will suit suit the player perfectly. e had been begging for a chance to play and grabbed it with both hands when his moment came at the weekend. We were told: "If the manager needs more players we will have to sell first because we really have spent all our money and are up to our maximum on financial fair play and wage cap."

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New Irons star praised to the skies
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2015 in News
KissCarl Jenkinson has become the latest member of the Manuel Lazini fan club.

The Arsenal defender believes this is one dedicated individual who is showing absolutely top form after travelling halfway across the world to his new life in England.

And in a glowing testimony the the 22 year old he said: ""Credit to Manu, he's got fantastic ability but I think the biggest credit for him is he has come over from another country and not only has he had to settle in with his personal life, the football is difficult here.

He told the Daily Star:"It's more physical and for a small lad he is incredibly strong as well and he puts himself about and you don't see him knocked off the ball. Often for boys coming over here and playing in the Premier League it can take a season or even more to settle.

"Manu has come straight in and has been fantastic so I think that is the biggest compliment you can give him. He is very confident but he is very focused on his job and he is not the sort of person who will get ahead of himself.

"You can tell he is that sort of character who is just going to crack on and he loves playing football. I can't speak highly enough of him."

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Report: Three offers for former Hammer
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2015 in News
Morgan Amalfitano will apparently not be out of work for long id reports claiming he has received offers from three French clubs turn out to be true.

The 30 year old midfielder was paid up by the Irons after falling out with manager Slaven Bilic but has apparently been offered contracts with three French clubs.

And, according to Calcio Mercato, Amalfitano now has offers from Bordeaux, Lorient and Guingamp.

All three Ligue 1 clubs are keen to snap up the free agent and have presented his agent with a variety of proposals.
Amalfitano is said to be keen on a return to France

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CAN PEDRO PLEASE COME OUT AND PLAY ? AND MICHAIL, ALEX, ANGELO AND ENNER TOO ?
By HamburgHammer 19 Oct 2015 at 08:00
WTID

I have a confession to make. As I'm writing this on a rainy Sunday in Hamburg I struggle to keep my eyes open as I didn't get much sleep last night. No, not what you think (I wish). No erotic shenanigans or roleplaying games involved. I was just in a state of complete sensory overload after our fantastic 3:1 win at Palace. Scenes from that game kept running through my mind over and over again. But my mindgames didn't stop there. i was thinking about the upcoming games (which always are too far away), about what formation we might use, what lineup, who to put on the bench, which players might link up well together what Bilic might try to do next in order to replicate our away successes at the Boleyn too. Whenever I tried to get to sleep Lanzini stole himself into the box of my brain again and smashed that ball over the line for our winning goal. To be followed by that delightful passing move that ended up with Payet sending a delicate chip over Hennessey as if they were playing in a schoolyard, not on a Premier League pitch.

THAT game was very much the West Ham way. I've rarely enjoyed watching our Hammers this much since I saw my first game back in 1996. Positive. Trying to play the right way. Passing the ball. Making positive substitutions. Keeping patient even with the man advantage. Believing in your players and trusting them to win the game. Wanting to win the game. Respecting the opposition without fearing them. The mesmerising thing is: Even if you disregard our entire starting eleven from the Palace game, we could certainly still field a starting eleven from the players we had on the bench on Saturday, currently injured players and some youth players as well and still have a very solid or even exciting Premier League team.

Starting with Song he should be the best of the bunch of players who haven't yet featured or not featured as often as they would have liked. Apparently he is back in training now and should be ready in 2-3 weeks. A fit and healthy Song should be the perfect foil to link our defense with the more attack minded of our midfielders. Song should add experience, have a very solid pass completion rate and help us to win the ball and keep the ball for us time and time again. If he does play that is as competition for places is fierce in our current squad these days, in every position.

Pedro Obiang was one of our more marquee signings in the summer. That he hasn't featured much is testament to the quality our lads have shown so far. At the start of the season I would have predicted Obiang to be a regular starter. Then again, I would have said the same about Angelo Ogbonna, another player who arrived with great credentials. And Michail Antonio was a bit of a coup when he came to us from the Championship on deadline day, one of the paciest and most skilled young wingers in England and a future star in the making.

All of these guys will not only need to work their socks off in training and show the right attitude to play themselves into contention, they will also have to rely on a teammate to play a stinker or get himself injured before a place in the starting eleven becomes vacant. Add to that the prospect of several youth players knocking on the door of the first team (Oxford, Burke, Henry, Page, Lee, Poyet) and you get the idea. It'll require a bit of tightrope walking from Bilic to get the balance quite right. Every player wants to be out on the pitch, wearing that shirt obviously. You still need to keep the spirit and atmosphere in that dressing room on a constant high.

Our league position should help on that front, same as the fact that we are the second highest scorers in the league and play some great football in the process. Not only can we enjoy this situation in the here and now, it will also help us massively to keep our best players and attract new signings when we need to upgrade and improve our squad in certain positions. Players will love to come and join the West Ham transformation and they will be happy to strut their stuff under a positive and forward thinking youngish manager like Bilic. We really do have our West Ham back now with some fantastic results and a glorious current league position on top of that.

I can't stop salivating at the thought of our options once all players are available for selection. This team can only get better once team chemistry starts to kick in and our lads know instinctively where to their teammates will be running next and when they want the ball. Ask me to name a weak starting eleven for West Ham and I simply couldn't do it. This must be one of the most exciting phases in our proud club's history and it's great fun to be a Hammer right now. With the Chelsea game coming up I am very optimistic we can at least get a point while a win for us obviously isn't out of the question either. I'd love us to get a deserved, out and out professional win over Chelsea to give Mourinho something to moan about again and some of those pundits to sit up and listen. What kind of lineup do I expect ? Some tough choices ahead. But here's my take:

Adrian in goal.
Back four with Jenkinson, Tomkins, Ogbonna or Reid (whoever is fit), Cresswell.
Noble and Kouyate holding
Attacking midfield with Lanzini-Payet-Zarate.
Sakho upfront.

Bench: Randolph, Collins, Obiang, Antonio, Carroll, Valencia, Jelavic.

Let's hope Bilic keeps our team improving and playing some more football that's pleasing on the eye AND on the scoresheet. It can be done, even if you don't have 150 million to spend in the transfer window. And you also get to stay up without even paying much attention to the issue simply because the approach and attitude is different. Teams that play well regularly rarely get relegated. Teams who score the second most goals in the league rarely get relegated. Bilic summed it up perfectly on Saturday: "We were patient. But we wanted to win. Happy Hammers!"

Indeed Slaven. Indeed: COYI!

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Slaven Bilic explains how West Ham swagger made Crystal Palace win so much sweeter
FOR Slaven Bilic it was a very special occasion.
By NIGEL CLARKE
PUBLISHED: 00:03, Mon, Oct 19, 2015 | UPDATED: 00:10, Mon, Oct 19, 2015
Express.co.uk

Never mind the away successes at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City this season. Beating Palace was the one to get excited about. They did it with a swagger too, playing the kind of quality football Hammers fans had never seen under the departed Sam Allardyce. It was all too much for Palace who played the second half with 10 men following the dismissal of Dwight Gayle in the 44th minute. Bilic said: "Those wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and City were satisfying because they made history. We hadn't won at those places for years. People are not going to go out and get a tattoo because we won at Palace but, for me, to come to Selhurst Park and do it in such style makes me so very proud. "It was a London derby which means a lot to the supporters and I like Palace they are a good side and made it very hard for us. So winning was something special. "All I am trying to do is work hard and I can guarantee that we won't get carried away by what we have achieved with this performance."

Certainly Dwight's dismissal changed the face of the game and Palace boss Alan Pardew was unhappy with referee Mark Clattenburg's decision to book the striker, who had already been shown a yellow card. "I am not saying he [Clattenburg] was biased against us, I just think the decision to issue a second card was rash," said Pardew. "Was it a cast iron yellow? In my opinion it wasn't and it has cost the boy a ban. "I think that is fair and I am in a good position to make that call. I don't see a problem with that and nor should the FA."

Gayle, in tears as he walked off the pitch, has given Palace more problems. He will miss the away game against Leicester on Saturday to leave Pardew short of fit front men for the up and coming games with Manchester City, United and Liverpool. Carl Jenkinson, who opened the scoring for West Ham, before Yohan Cabaye's penalty levelled matters, clashed with Gayle on two occasions and said: "He was obviously up for the game and putting himself about and you don't want to be making the kind of challenges he was booked for because you can end up hurting players."

Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet put Palace to the sword in the last two minutes and Jenkinson added: "This was a massive win for us and when you think the forward power we could call on from the bench it is clear how much strength we have. That is going to be a massive asset."

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1) Hennessey 7; Kelly 6, Dann 7, Hangeland 7, Souare 7, Zaha 5 (Sako 45), Cabaye 6 (Ledley 72), McArthur 6 (Jedinak 62), Puncheon 6, Bolassie 5, Gayle 5.
Booked: Gayle, Jedinak.
Sent off: Gayle 44.
Goal: Cabaye 24pen.
Next Up: Leicester (a), Sat, PL.

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Adrian 6; Jenkinson 6, Tomkins 6, Collins 6, Cresswell 6, Moses 6 (Zarate 69), Noble 6 (Carroll 62), Kouyate 7), Payet 8, Lanzini 7, Sakho (Jelavic 80).
Booked: Tomkins, Payet.
Goals: Jenkinson 23, Lanzini 88, Payet 92.
Next Up: Chelsea (h), Sat, PL.
Referee: M Clattenburg (Co Durham).

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Slaven Bilic praises Andy Carroll after another memorable cameo at Palace
• West Ham manager hails Andy Carroll's impact on sub's fourth game of season
• Dimitri Payet scored fifth league goal of campaign in 3-1 win at Crystal Palace
Barry Glendenning
@bglendenning
Sunday 18 October 2015 22.30 BST Last modified on Sunday 18 October 2015 22.31 BST

Before West Ham United's latest and perhaps most impressive away win, over obdurate opposition who were reduced to 10 men for the entire second half, injury had restricted Andy Carroll to 20 minutes of Premier League football since February. He got 30 more under his belt here and was instrumental in the creation of the late goal that finally shattered the resistance of a Crystal Palace team who had come from behind and looked set fair to hold out for a hard-earned point.

It was a goal fashioned on the bench, where West Ham showed their strength in depth by naming four strikers. Mauro Zárate provided the cross, Carroll rose highest to get the far post knockdown and, when the pair's fellow substitute Nikica Jelavic was thwarted in his attempts to scramble home, Manuel Lanzini fired in an unstoppable drive from close range. In his post-game comments, Slaven Bilic was generous in his praise for an England international whose often devastating effectiveness was in danger of being forgotten.

"He's got something that is very hard to cope with," the West Ham manager said. "I played as centre-half and know that position. In the box, when the ball comes in, it's [usually] more about you than about [the centre-forward]. You are the one who has got more chance. But when the ball comes to him, it's more about him than you the defender and that's why we won today. He's skilful, he's got good vision, he's got good ideas, he's a great player. His biggest problem was his fitness due to injuries, but he has been training for eight weeks and it's been very boring training to be fair: individual work, but he's done it well. We are so happy that he is back."

This was not your orthodox game of two halves. The first was exciting, incident-packed and possibly edged by Palace until the dismissal of Dwight Gayle just before the interval; the second comparatively dreary, with the home side on the back foot challenging West Ham to break down their back door. It eventually came off the hinges through judicious use of a Geordie battering ram, and the excellent Dimitri Payet made up for a bad first-minute miss with a deft chip over Wayne Hennessey in the closing seconds of added time. Weirdly, it was the third consecutive time this fixture was decided by a scoreline of 3-1 to the visiting team.

In an enthralling half of many chances for both sides, Carl Jenkinson had opened the scoring with a second goal in two games. Following good work from Payet and the Palace old boy Victor Moses, the right-back drilled low and hard past Hennessey into the corner. Perhaps still celebrating his unlikely goal-rush, Jenkinson almost immediately gifted Palace an equaliser, colliding with Gayle, whose rather emphatic encroachment on the subsequent penalty meant Yohan Cabaye was forced to take it twice.

Gayle was a menacing presence throughout the first half but not always in a good way. His constant bickering with opponents and the referee suggested that a second yellow was inevitable, once he had been booked for a lunge through the back of Payet. When it duly arrived for a challenge on Cheikhou Kouyaté, the striker walked off with his shirt pulled over his face to hide his embarrassment and later apologised on social media. He might learn a thing or two from Carroll, whose equally obvious levels of enthusiasm and aggression were channelled in a more positive way.

Man of the match Dimitri Payet (West Ham United)

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Andy Carroll is a nightmare for defenders, says Slaven Bilic, and West Ham are lucky to have him back
Andy Carroll returned for West Ham and helped create winning goal
Former Newcastle striker has suffered from recurring injury problems
Slaven Bilic says he knew about Carroll in his Newcastle days
West Ham manager said Carroll is difficult for defenders to deal with
By SAMI MOKBEL FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 22:34, 18 October 2015 | UPDATED: 22:34, 18 October 2015

Slaven Bilic insists Andy Carroll is finally over his injury hell and ready to propel West Ham to even higher climbs this season. The striker, having been introduced as a second-half substitute, played a key role in the Hammers winner against 10-man Crystal Palace on Saturday, setting up Manuel Lanzini to fire home in the 88th minute. The former Newcastle and Liverpool striker showed promising signs that he is fully over the knee and ankle injuries that have disrupted the start to his season as his Selhurst Park cameo helped fired West Ham up to fourth.
'I didn't have to come to West Ham to know about Andy Carroll,' said West Ham boss Bilic. 'I've known him since his Newcastle days. He has been working extremely hard and he's in very good shape. 'He has been training for eight weeks, very boring individual training. We are so lucky he is back. 'I played at centre back and I know that position. In the box, when the ball comes in, usually it is the centre back who has more chance. But it's the other way round with Andy. in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. 'His biggest problem has been his fitness and injuries but that's connected. When you are injured you cannot get fit.' Meanwhile, Palace manager Alan Pardew is facing a striker crisis ahead of Saturday's trip to high-flying Leicester. Dwight Gayle will miss the game through suspension following his sending off for two late fouls against the Hammers. Pardew, who felt the dismissal was soft, is facing a selection dilemma with Connor Wickham (rib) and Marouane Chamakh (hamstring) both out injured.

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